Cycling UK Forum

I thought I'd give some feedback on our trip to Northumberland. We rented a cottage for a week in Barrasford, a small village on the River North Tyne about 10 miles north of Hexham. We used this a base for our tandem rides. We were blessed with some wonderful weather, arriving on the Saturday of the...

As above, thanks for the helpful replies. We're now looking at cottages in the Hexham area with a view to exploring around there.

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I'm working away from home for the next two weeks. When I get back I'll review all the advice with my wife.

Cheers, Ian

Thanks again for the replies and opinions! I do take them all on board. Part of the reason for wanting explore Northumberland more inland is that we have had many holidays over the years on the Northumberland coast, which is very beautiful. I think part of the problem for us is that we live in Harro...

Thanks for the reply. To honest whilst a ride out to the reservoir might be in order we tend to prefer more open country. Is the issue with midges dependent on time of day and weather? I seem to remember from when I visited Skye many years ago that the midges came out in the evening or when it was r...

Thanks for the reply. We're happy to ride well packed down off road tracks, ie like the sort of trails you get in the Peak District, but not really up for bridleways on the tandem.

My wife and I are planning to have a week away at the end of August to do a bit of tandeming and are thinking about going to the Northumberland National Park area. Does anyone have any experience of this area and where would you recommend to stay as a centre. We will either be camping or might try a...

I need to replace my current touring shoes, ie ones I can walk in and that look "normal'. I've spotted these DHB one from Wiggle and wondered if anyone here has tried them? https://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-dorica-mtb-shoe/ Cheers, Ian Yes, I have three pairs of those. one white & two black. Si...

Thanks for the offer but I take a size 45. Out of interest what are your thoughts on those shoes?

Ian

I need to replace my current touring shoes, ie ones I can walk in and that look "normal'. I've spotted these DHB one from Wiggle and wondered if anyone here has tried them?

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-dorica-mtb-shoe/

Cheers, Ian

Rather than criticise the cable routing (which is probably original) may I say well done, you've clearly gone to a lot of effort.

Ian

I would suggest that the most likely cure is more tension in the spokes. I used to build / rebuild wheels every working day for many years and never had problems with spokes loosening on my wheels. I did however see lots of new wheels that lost their tension very quickly: they all had the same fault...

If you go to a frame builder for the paint job he should be able to realign the frame and repair the dent.

Ian

My 2p worth. I have several bikes that I ride regularly. My lightweight road bikes and tandem all have combined brake/gear controls (2x shimano, 1 SRAM). The bike I ride most regularly has bar-end indexed shifters. Personally I love them, particularly for a touring oriented bike. I find that if I'm ...

The Helicomatic system was a great idea. Easy freewheel removal and, above all, the gearside bearing moved to the outside. Unfortunately for Maillard Shimano introduced the freehub and, as they say, the rest is history.

Ian